Jason Kander on War & Peace

Iraq War was a huge strategic error, and I said so then

Q: In principle, was the Iraq War a good idea?

KANDER: No.

Q: Why?

KANDER: At this point, everybody agrees that that was a huge strategic error. If you watch, for instance, what's going on in the Republican debate for the presidency, you see,
overwhelmingly, everyone on both sides of the aisle seems to agree that was a mistake. And that's something I understood that at the time, and Senator Blunt did not.

Q: Should President Obama should have kept troops in Iraq instead of a complete withdrawal?

KANDER: I think that the focus at this point has got to be what we do now. I feel the president could have done a better job explaining what
we need to do now to combat ISIS rather than talk about what we've been doing.

Q: You don't think the president did a good job addressing the nation about ISIS?

Engage ISIS, including ground troops as a last resort

Q: Specifically, what should Obama do better to address ISIS?

KANDER: We have to be willing to engage ISIS militarily, economically, and even on the Internet without delay. For instance, I think we waited too long to engage al-Qaida and the Taliban in
Pakistan. And we should not make a similar mistake with ISIS elements throughout the world.

Q: You think we should send additional troops in Syria or Iraq?

KANDER: Ground troops have to be a last resort. I think they should always be a last resort.
But as I think we have that conversation going forward, we need to make sure it's not just a conversation of whether we should send people in, but also how those people get out. I think in the past we have not always had that conversation.
But it's clear that as we go forward, if military leaders say that that is the only way we are going to be able to destroy ISIS, then that's what we're going to have to.